Tragedy struck at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) on Friday after three patients on life support reportedly died following the disconnection of the hospital’s electricity supply by the Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO).
Hospital spokesperson, Hauwa Dutse, confirmed the incident on Monday, revealing that four patients were on ventilatory support in the Intensive Care Unit when the blackout occurred.
Three of them did not survive.
The disconnection, according to reports, was linked to an outstanding debt of ₦949.88 million owed by the hospital as of the end of August.
KEDCO, in a statement by its Head of Corporate Communications, Sani Bala, insisted the hospital must also clear its August bill of ₦108.95 million within 10 working days to avoid further sanctions.
“The power outage had a direct impact on our patients. On that very day, four were on admission, and sadly, three passed away,” Hauwa said.
The matter was later resolved after an emergency meeting involving the hospital management, KEDCO officials, and the Kano State Police Command.
Following the talks, KEDCO reconnected the hospital to the grid.
Hauwa expressed appreciation to both the police and the company’s leadership for their intervention.
Meanwhile, KEDCO defended its action, explaining that its technicians had attempted to separate the hospital’s power line from the residential staff quarters due to alleged wastage but were denied access, leading to the disconnection that caused the disruption.